Good morning. It's Thursday, May 20, and we're covering a possible end to the fighting in Israel, a suspect arrested in an epic jewel heist, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Potential Ceasefire in Israel

A ceasefire in the fighting that has gripped Israel and the Gaza Strip may come as early as Friday, according to overnight reports. The truce is being mediated by Egyptian negotiators. 

The news comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed yesterday to continue Israel's efforts against Hamas militants, with the country's military shifting its focus to targeting senior Hamas officials. The comments came despite increasing pressure from the US, with President Joe Biden calling for de-escalation by the end of yesterday.

Israel has also focused on dismantling the group's infrastructure, most notably the so-called "Hamas Metro," a series of underground tunnels used by the group to smuggle goods and weapons and move undetected throughout Gaza. Officials say 31 missile manufacturing sites have also been destroyed. 

Precipitated by a number of events, Hamas launched rockets into Israel for the first time since 2014 last Monday, prompting retaliatory airstrikes. Since then, Hamas has fired more than 3,000 rockets (see range of fire), with Israel conducting hundreds of strikes. To date, 217 Palestinians (including a reported 63 children) and 12 Israelis (one child) have been killed. International aid groups have warned of a looming humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  

Observers warn a ceasefire will end short-term violence, but is unlikely to halt the ongoing cycle of conflict. 

Art Thief Nabbed

German police announced the arrest of the fifth and final suspect in a daring 2019 burglary of one of the country's most famous museums. The suspect, 22-year-old Abdul Majed Remmo, is the twin brother of the already arrested Mohammed Remmo, and evaded authorities during a raid last year. 

Considered one of the greatest jewel heists in modern history, the group broke into Dresden's renowned Green Vault Museum, which contains Europe's largest treasure collection (see photos). The haul, estimated to be worth $1.1B, included the 49-carat Dresden White Diamond, an elaborate sword with more than 700 diamonds, and other items (see list). The operation was fairly low-tech—the burglars started a fire that disarmed the security system and climbed in through a window. The suspects are part of the same family responsible for the theft of a 220-pound Canadian gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum in 2017.

See the best of the rest of the historic jewel heists in recent history.

Jan. 6 Commission

The US House passed legislation yesterday establishing a 9/11-style commission to investigate the origins and details of the Jan. 6 storming of the US Capitol. Rep. John Katko (R, NY-24) helped develop the proposal, and 35 Republicans joined Democrats to approve the bill in a 252-175 vote. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-23)—likely to be subpoenaed by such a commission—did not support the bill, arguing it should investigate a broader range of political violence. 

The commission faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where it needs 60 votes to overcome a filibuster (see 101). Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has come out against the proposal, and 10 Republican senators would have to support the bill in the evenly divided chamber. 

See how the hypothetical commission would work here.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by Dollar Flight Club

> Billy Porter—the Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning actor—announces he’s been HIV-positive for 14 years (More) | Paul Mooney, actor and comedian best known for work on “The Richard Pryor Show,” dies at 79 (More) | Singer and actor Demi Lovato comes out as nonbinary; announces they/them as pronouns (More)

> LeBron James hits late-game three to propel the Los Angeles Lakers past the Golden State Warriors in Western Conference play-in game; Warriors will face the Memphis Grizzlies for final spot (More) | How the play-in games work (More)

> "Friends" reunions drops trailer for May 27 special on HBO Max; each star was reportedly paid $2.5M to take part (More) | Cher biopic in the works from "Mamma Mia!" producers (More)

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Science & Technology

> Microsoft to retire Internet Explorer, one of the oldest and most widely used web browsers, next June after 25 years of operation; all company products will shift to Microsoft Edge (More)

> Researchers advance toward using gene therapy to restore hearing for the congenitally deaf; new functions for a gene linked to healthy sensory hairs in the inner ear discovered (More)

> Experiment finds tardigrades, also known as water bears, can survive an average bullet impact up to speeds of 3,000 feet per second (More) | Meet the water bear, the world's toughest animal (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets slide again (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow -0.5%, Nasdaq -0.03%) on continued inflation fears and crypto sell-off (More)

> Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies see sharp sell-off after China bans financial institutions from providing crypto services; Bitcoin fell near 30% yesterday before recovering to $39K (More)

> Website development giant Squarespace trades down 12% in first day as public company, valuing company at more than $6B (More) | Oat milk producer Oatly to start trading today following initial public offering; analysts expect company to be valued near $10B—investors include Oprah, Jay-Z, and former Starbucks chief Howard Schultz (More) 

Politics & World Affairs

> India sets record for reported COVID-19 deaths in a single day at 4,529; new reported cases have begun to decline, currently at 280,000 per day (More) | US averaging just over 31,000 new cases per day, the lowest total since June (More) | European Union reopens borders for vaccinated travelers (More)

> Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signs fetal "heartbeat" bill, prohibiting most abortions after a heartbeat can be detected; could ban the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy (More)

> Leaked video reveals long-withheld police body camera footage of the 2019 arrest of Ronald Brown in Louisiana after a high-speed chase; Brown died while being detained, video contradicts early police reports of what occurred (More)

IN-DEPTH

The 'DuckTales' Bandit

New Yorker | Jeff Maysh. The strange story of Germany's bomb-building artist-turned-extortionist, who styled his criminal persona after Scrooge McDuck. (Read, $$)

The Push to Legalize Psychedelics

Axios Re:Cap | Dan Primack. (Podcast) A look at the push by companies and medical experts to allow the use of psychedelics to treat mental health issues, and how they must navigate regulatory approval. (Listen)

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ETCETERA

Ranking the best school districts in America.

The 50 greatest moments in internet history.

Don't be scared; it's just a wobbling skyscraper.

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A lost village reemerges from an Italian lake.

A beautiful West Texas thunderstorm.

Bear Grylls explains his top survival tactics.

The world's longest-named places—they're a mouthful.

New Hampshire man detonates 80 pounds of explosive during gender reveal party.

Clickbait: Aphrodisiac fungus is dismembering cicadas.

Historybook: Christopher Columbus dies (1506); Charles Lindbergh makes first nonstop flight across the Atlantic (1927); HBD singer-songwriter Cher (1946); First photograph from space sent from Hubble Space Telescope (1990).

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- Cherilyn "Cher" Sarkisian

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